How Injections Could Stop Your Nerve and Joint Pain

The right injection can offer you quick relief from nerve, joint, muscle, and spinal pain in just a few hours. At Texas Spine and Sports Therapy Center, we offer spinal injections in conjunction with other treatments that will relieve the cause of inflammation for long term results. 

What is a Joint Injection? 

Anesthetic shots can relieve nerves that keep sending out signals of pain due to compression or joints that hurt due to arthritis, age, or injury. These chemicals relieve inflammation in general, which means they also reduce swelling and heat in addition to the pain. The injection is used to penetrate the joint or hurt area around the nerve so the medication can be delivered exactly where it needs to go. 

Joint injections are performed in the office as part of a treatment plan for people with primarily arthritis. Medication is injected using a needle directly into a joint, like your knee. Rheumatology.com explains that sometimes joint fluid is removed before the steroid is injected, and then the steroid is injected into the joint. Fluid obtained from this treatment can be examined to determine if there is a more serious issue. Drainage of this fluid can also provide pain relief and increased mobility. 

Benefits of Joint Injections

If we determine that you are a good candidate for these anti-inflammatory joint injections, you could find the benefits to include:

• Localized pain relief – irritation in one knee can be solved without affecting the rest of the body.
• Rapid pain relief – pain could begin decreasing before you leave your appointment.
• Long lasting results – one injection can provide you relief for weeks.
• No down time – you will not have to miss work for long periods of time, like you would if you had to have surgery.
• Restored range of motion – relieving inflamed muscles and nerves could allow you to move more freely. 
• Dependability – these injections often work well enough for patients that don’t respond well to traditional painkillers. 
• Quick healing time – there is no need for long healing time or hours of treatments in the office.
• Halting arthritis progression – adding a replacement substance to a knee joint can help decrease further deterioration caused by arthritis. 

Specific conditions the shots can be most effective in treating include:

• Bursitis
• Gout
• Osteoarthritis
• Psoriatic arthritis 
• Reactive arthritis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Tendinitis 

Problems Treated by Injections

You don’t only have to be suffering from arthritis to enjoy the quick relief of anti-inflammatory injections. These injections can also help people who suffer from conditions that include:

• Back pain, neck pain, and other forms of chronic pain
• Recurring headaches and migraines 
• Sciatica and other types of inflammation that affect the hips
• Arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis 
• Knee pain caused by injury, age, or joint deterioration
• Shoulder inflammation and limited range of movement in the elbow or wrist

Do Injections Treat the Problem Permanently? 

The main job of anti-inflammatory injections is to reduce inflammation, in turn relieving your pain. MedicineNet explains that, unfortunately, inflammation can recur after these injections, which means pain can come back. However, these injections typically can provide weeks to months of pain relief when used properly. These injections are only a ‘permanent’ fix when the problem is tissue inflammation that is only in a small area, which is when you have a condition like bursitis or tendinitis. 

While anti-inflammatory injections are a great temporary treatment for many sources of pain, they often don’t resolve the originating cause of the issue. At Texas Spine and Sports Therapy Center, we use these techniques to quickly help patients feel better. However, to better care for your body, it is important to follow up with further diagnostics and testing to determine what is the exact source of your issue. 

What to Expect After the Treatment 

Right after you receive your shot, it is normal to have some redness and a feeling of warmth at the injection site. If you have diabetes, this shot might temporarily increase your blood sugar levels. After your shot, it will be important to:

• Protect the injection area for two days, avoiding things like heavy lifting
• Applying ice to the injection site as needed to relieve pain, avoiding using heating pads
• Avoiding using a bathtub, hot tub, or whirlpool for two days, however, you can still shower 
• Watch out for signs of infection, including increased pain, redness, and swelling, that last more than 48 hours

Make an Appointment with Texas Spine and Sports Therapy Center

If you are suffering from joint pain and believe that you could benefit from joint injections, make an appointment with our team at Texas Spine and Sports Therapy Center today by calling us at (512)-806-0015.